Blasting machine loader



June 30, 1964 H. F. scHULTE ETAL 3,139,170

BLASTING MACHINE LOADER Filed June 13, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet l '9 l INVENTORY HAPOD ESC//Uf AT TORIYEYS June 30, 1964 H. F. scHULTE ETAL 3,139,170

BLASTING MACHINE LOADER Filed June 13, 1962 6 Sheets-Shea?l 2 m .l www June 30, 1964 H. F. scHULTE ETAL BLASTING MACHINE LOADER 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 13, 1962 June 30, 1964 H. F. scHuLTE ETAL 3,139,170

BLASTING MACHINE LOADER Filed June 13, 1962 June 30, 1964 H. F. scHULTE ETAL. 3,139,170

BLASTING MACHINE LOADER 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 13, 1962 @www June 30, 1964 H. F. SCHUL-rE TAL 3,139,170*

BLASTING MACHINE LOADER Filed June l5, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 United States Patent C) 3,139,170 BLASTING MACHNE LADER Harold i?. Schritte and Bonald L Hackman, Mishawaha, Ind., assignors to Bell intercontinental Corporation, South Bend, Ind.

Filed .lune 13, 1962, Ser. No. 262,221 4 Claims. (Cl. Hi8-19) This invention relates to materials handling apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for loading gangs of rods or bar stock, pipe, or other relatively long structural shapes or the like, from stock piles thereof into shotblasting machine cabinets.

The present invention relates to machines for the purpose dealt with in Patent No. 3,036,413, issued May 29, i962, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a still further improved apparatus for transferring successive batches of relatively long parts to be processed from a supply source in spaced group arrangements, to a feeding mechanism which then delivers successive batches of workpieces into a shot-blast machine for shotblasting or other surface treatments thereof.

Another object is to provide an improved apparatus as aforesaid which is structurally rugged and employs only mechanically simple moving parts, thereby requiring minimum maintenance.

Another object is to provide an improved apparatus as aforesaid which readily accommodates workpieces of different sectional dimensions, and to place the Workpieces upon the feeding portion of the apparatus in properly spaced relationships, so that regardless of the workpiece sizes the blast media will effectively reach all surfaces of the workpieces.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

One exemplary form of machine embodying the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan View schematic illustration of a machine of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged scale fragmentary view of a detail ofthe intake end portion of the machine of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an end View of the apparatus of FIG. 2, as indicated by the sectional line III-IlIthereong PEG. 4 is an enlarged scale fragmentary sectional View of a portion of'FlG. 3 showing how the loading and feeding devices adapt to different diameter workpieces;

FIG. 5 is an end View of a detail ofFIG. 2l as indicated by the sectional numerals V-V thereon;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan View of a portion of the delivery end of the machine;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the delivery end of the machine;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the delivery end portion of the machine as indicated at VIH- VIII in FIG. 7; and

FIGS. 9, l0, are enlarged scaley fragmentary sections taken on lines lX-IX and X-X respectively of FIG. 6.

3,13%,lil VPatented .lune 30, 1964 ICC comprises a plurality of parallel spaced endless conveyor chains 3i); the links of which carry separate cradle-like supports 31 to receive the workpieces 20. Star wheels as indicatediat 32 are mounted on a shaft 33 which rotates when the conveyors lill move, and are so shaped that their teeth portions extend upwardly through the machine frame and in between adjacent stock pieces as they approach the feeding station of the apparatus. As shown `in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, guide plates 34 are provided at suitable `to the conveyor system. Additional guide plates asindicated at 3de are provided to hold the stockpieces at the desired elevations while `being transferred by the star wheels to the conveyors 3i). As shown in the drawing herewith the star wheels 32 are provided in pairs and each star wheel may have any desired number of points. Thus, if the paired wheels are keyed to the shaft in mutual alignments each star wheel device will in effect control the rate of intake and each revolution of the shaft will cause a number of pieces equal to the number of teeth in each star wheel to feed onto the chains 39. If, however, it is desired to handle smaller diameter workpieces and to rack them on the conveying chains in closer relation, the star wheels of each pair may be relatively relocated and thus each star wheel unit will now provide a larger number of pockets to accommodate a larger number of workpieces of smaller diameters. Or, in lieu of a pairedstar Wheel arrangement as shown, any number of wheels may be teamed together at each station to provide :any preferred intake spacing arrangement. Also, of course, `the speed of the star wheel relative to the conveyors may be changed. i

The star Wheel drive shaft 33`is driven as indicated at the upper portion of FIG. 2 by a suitable motor and reduction gear and chain drive system. Thus it will be appreciated that as the workpieces roll down the ramp sills 26 they will be successively picked up by the star wheels 32 and delivered in spaced relation as shown in FIG. 3 to the feed chains 30 which then operate to move the workpieces further to the left as viewed in FIG. 3.

y The chains 3l? run on sprockets S6-37 and are arranged As illustrated herein, the machine of the present in- .4

vention is arranged to transfer successive batches or` gangs of steel bar, pipe, or other elongate shape stock pieces such as are individually designated in the drawing herewith at 20, from any suitable gravity-unloading device such as a ramp 2l (FIG. 3) into the cabinet enclosingV a centrifugal blast machine as indicated generally at 22 (FIG. l). The stock supply ramp portion of the apparatus may include any preferred form of loading table arrangement such as sills 26 supported on legs or support pedestals (not shown) so as to be adiustably inclined to cause the workpieces 2d to roll one by one toward the left as viewed in FlG. 3, and into the workpiece engaging mechanism which will be described hereinafter.

The workpiece batch gathering portion of the apparatus to be power driven such as by keying of sprockets 36 to the drive shaft 33. `As shown in FIG. 4, the stockpiece receiving trays 31 of the conveyors 30 are shapedso as to cradle therein stockpieces of widely different sectional diameters, and whereas the stockpieces (regardless of size) tend to rest in the lowerright hand corners of the trays 3i when the conveyors are inclined upwardly (see broken line position ofFIG. 4) when the conveyors. are lowered into discharging positions the workpieces are thereupon released to roll freely into the'V-shaped portions of the rollers SlSto settle in properly spaced relation as shown by solid lines in FIG. 4. Hence, either small or large size stockpieces are readily accommodated by the transfer mechanism. l

The mechanism includes means for loading a gang or group of workpieces of any desired `predetermined nurner on the gathering chains, and Ithen lowering them upon transversely directed rollers 3S for shuttling each group of workpieces through the blast machinecabinet. As shownrherein, each conveyor 3d is mounted on a generally rectangular frame 46 comprising parallel side rails 42-42 which pivotally mount by bearings 44 on the shaft 35. The shaft 33 is carried by bearines 45 on fixed channel members 46. The swinging end of each conveyor frame 3 is provided with a downwardly extending horn 47 (FIG. 3) extending into pivotal connection with a connecting link 48 which is driven by a crank shaft 5t) which is in turn driven by a compressed air or hydraulic piston-cylinder unit 54 to reciprocate in response to control thereof as will be explained hereinafter.

As shown in FIGS. l, 2, the rollers 38 are of serrated edge form dimensioned so as to` interfit between the conveyors 30. Thus, after the swinging end portions of the conveyors are loaded as depicted in FIGS. 3-4, while the conveyors are elevated, the actuator 54 is operated to lower the batch of bars onto the rollers 38. The conveyors continue to lower to positions free of the unloaded bars, and thus the bars are now free to be driven endwise into and through the shot blasting cabinet. The rollers 38 be* ing of serrated surface form, maintain the stock pieces in spaced relation as they pass through the shot blasting operation; the rollers being mounted on shafts 62 which are power driven for this purpose, as indicated at 64.

Thus it will be appreciated that upon lowering of the gang of workpieces onto the rollers 38, the stock pieces will now be in position to be conveyed lengthwise into the blast machine casing, for the finishing processing thereon previously referred to. After passage of the batch of workpieces to clear the conveyors 30, the latter are elevated again and the star wheel-conveyor system is operated to reload the conveyors preparatory for repetition of the process. Control of power applications to the transverse conveyors 3th, and to the star wheels, and to the rollers 38, may of course be arranged for in any preferred manner. For example, these mechanisms may by separately powered and manually controlled; or in the alternative they may be automatically controlled and synchronized so as to substantially automate the entire apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1 an arrangement is preferably provided adjacent the inlet opening of the blast machine casing so as to firmly hold down the infeeding stock pieces in proper positions as they travel into the blast machine cabinet. A hold down arrangement is only schematically illustrated in FIG. l at 65; a suitable form thereof being illustrated and described in detail in my earlier patent application Serial No. 5,482.

As shown schematically in FIG. l and in further detail in FIGS. 7-10, the machine includes means Vfor receiving the batchesl of processed workpieces from lthe cabinet 22 in endwise running direction, and then shunting them sidewise (after clearing the shot-blast cabinet) alternatively, either into a gravity take-away chute 70 or onto a storage platform as indicated generally at 90.

The mechanism for conducting the workpieces away from the cabinet 22 comprises a series of parallel rollers 72 extending transversely of the path of the exiting workpieces. These rollers are surface-serrated as in the manner of the rollers 38, and are disposed in line to receive the workpieces directly from the rollers 38. It will be. appreciated that the lengths of the feed roller system and of the delivery roller system will both ,be such as to accommodate the lengths of the woi'kpieces expected to be handled. As in the case of the rollers 38, the rollers 72V will also be power driven as by means of a motor 74 (FIGS. l, 8) and interconnecting drive chain devices 73 as shown in FIG. 8.

v To transfer the processed workpieces from the rollers 72 into either buck 70 or onto the storage feeder 90 a series of unloading conveyors are provided as indicated generallyat 75. These conveyors resemble the conveyors 3 0 hereinabove described and are mounted by sprockets 76 and 77; the sprockets 77 being keyed to drive shafts 78 (FIG. 10). The drive shafts 78- are carried-in fixed bearings 79 and the frames of the conveyors 75 are arranged to pivot vertically about the axesV of the driveshafts 78. A hydraulic or pneumatic piston-cylinder unit 8f) is arranged to actuate a crankshaft 81 which pivotally connects through links 82 (FIG. l0) with the swinging ends of the conveyor frames, whereby the conveyors may be swung vertically between the solid line and broken line positions thereof as shown in FIGS. 7 and l0. The conveyors are driven by means of a motor 84 and an interconnecting speed reducing chain and sprocket systern; the motor 84 being of reversible type for reversible direction operation of the conveyors 75. At suitable intervals lengthwise of the device a seriesof upstanding serrated edge racks 85 are provided to one side of the roller devices 72, and between rollers 72 and the buck 70.

Prior to running a batch of workpieces onto the delivery rollers 72, the cylinder 88 is actuated so as to swing the conveyors 75 downwardly below the elevations of the rollers 72, as to the broken line showing of the conveyor 75 in FIG. 9. The workpieces are then run out on the rollers 72. The cylinder 8) is then actuated to raise the V.conveyors 75 so as to lift the stock pieces clear of the rollers. The conveyor motor is then started and the stock pieces are thereby carried to the left as viewed in FIGS. 7, 9, l0 either into positions above the rack plates 85 or on out to the ends of the conveyors when they drop into the buck 78. If it is preferred to temporarily store the workpieces, the cylinder 80 is actuated to lower the conveyors 75 so that the workpieces deposit in spaced cradled relation upon the racks 85. Then, subsequent operation of the conveyors 75 will now drive the workpieces to fall oif the left hand end portions of the racks and by gravity into the buck '70 (FIG. 9). As shown therein the buck 70 may be provided with deflector devices as indicated at 86 which when raised to vertical standing positions will permit the work pieces to fall into the nearby section of the bin. Lowering of the dellector devices 86, as to the solid line position thereof shown in FIG. 9, will provide at once a closure over the first section of the bin and an inclined ramp down which the oncoming stock pieces will roll into the next adjacent portion of the bin.

When itis desired, alternatively, to deliver the workpieces to conveyors at the opposite side of the rollers 72, after the conveyors 75 are elevated to pick up a batch of workpieces, theyare controlled by the motor 84 to run in the opposite direction or toward the right as viewed in FIGS. 7, l0. This will cause the workpieces to be delivered to a series of parallel storage conveyors which are indicated individually at the conveyors 95 being also driven to carry the workpieces toward the right as viewed in the drawing. The conveyors 95 are shown. as being driven by a motor 96 (FIG. 7) Vand interconnecting chain; sprocket drive devices. The conveyors 95 mayl be of the same type as the conveyors 30, 75, and are disposed generally horizontally (or at any inclination) .if preferred, so Vas to ultimately deliver the finished workpiecesin succession to a draw bench or reloading carriage or the like y as indicated at 98.

As in the case of the loading conveyor and feeding portions of the mechanism as shown and described in connection with FIGS. 2, 3, 4, hereinabove, the mechanisms of FIGS. 7-10 may also be powered and controlled in any preferred manner; manually, or automatically, or semi-automatically. Also, it will be appreciated that although only one example of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the accompanying claims.

We claim: A

l. A machine for feeding to a workpiece blasting cabinet successive batches of relatively long `workpieces in parallel spaced relation disposition, said machine comprising essentially a workpiece gathering mechanism including a lplurality of spaced parallel running continuous conveyors having their workpiece Supporting strands running away from an associated loading station, said conveyors having flights thereupon adapted to cradle successive workpieces in predetermined spaced parallel relation, power drive meansf controllable to drive said con- Vveyors in unison, means disposed at the workpiece delivery side 0f said conveyors and driven in synchronism with said conveyors to control feeding of Workpieces in said predetermined spaced relation to said conveyors, roller means for simultaneously moving a group of workpieces in their longitudinal direction for batch feeding to a blasting machine cabinet, said roller means being in the form of a series of spaced, parallel and coplanar rollers of serrated configuration in which the valleys of the serrations are disposed in said predetermined spaced relation, said conveyors being carried by supports pivotally mounted adjacent said loading station so as to enable the workpiece carrying strands of said conveyors to shift to positions above and below the level of Said rollers, for intermittently loading said rollers.

2. A machine for feeding successive batches of parallel disposed relatively long workpieces, said machine comprising a gathering mechanism for parallel oncoming workpieces including a conveyor running away from an associated loading station, said conveyor including means adapted to cradle successive Workpieces in predetermined spaced parallel relation, means disposed at the workpiece delivery end of said conveyor and driven in synchronism with said conveyor to control feeding of workpieces in said predetermined spaced relation to said conveyor, roller means for simultaneously moving a group of workpieces in their longitudinal direction for batch feeding thereof, said roller means being in the form of a series of spaced, parallel and coplanar rollers of serrated configuration in which the valleys of the serrations are disposed in said predetermined spaced relation, and means movably supporting said conveyor to shift to positions above and below the level of said rollers, for intermittently loading said rollers.

3. A machine for feeding to a workpiece blasting machine successive batches of relatively long workpieces in parallel spaced relation disposition, said machine comprising a first conveyor means running away from an associated loading station, said conveyor means having means thereon adapted to hold successive workpieces in predetermined spaced parallel relation, second conveyor means including mechanism for receiving and maintaining workpieces in said predetermined spaced relation and simultaneously moving them in their longitudinal directions, means movably mounting said first conveyor means to shift to positions above and below the level of said second conveyor means, and third conveyor means running transversely of said second conveyor means and movable vertically so as to periodically pick up loads of workpieces from said second conveyor means and deliver them to a discharge station laterally thereof, said third conveyor means having means thereon adapted to hold workpieces in said predetermined spaced parallel relation.

4. A machine for feeding to a workpiece blasting machine batches of workpieces in parallel disposition, said machine comprising a rst conveyor running away from an associated loading station, said conveyor having means thereon adapted to cradle workpieces in predetermined spaced relation, second conveyor means for simultaneously moving a group of workpieces in transverse direction for batch feeding to a blasting machine, said second conveyor means including mechanism for receiving and maintaining workpieces in said predetermined spaced relation, means movably mounting, said first conveyor means to shift to positions above and below the level of said second conveyor means, a third conveyor carrying workpieces away from said blasting machine, and fourth conveyor running transversely of said third conveyor and movable vertically so as to pick up Workpi-eces from said third conveyor and deliver them to a discharge station disposed laterally thereof.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 711,947 Dittbeuner Oct. 28, 1902 1,456,715 Peck May 29, 1923 2,182,857 teele Dec. l2, 1939 

1. A MACHINE FOR FEEDING TO A WORKPIECE BLASTING CABINET SUCCESSIVE BATCHES OF RELATIVELY LONG WORKPIECES IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION DISPOSITION, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY A WORKPIECE GATHERING MECHANISM INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED PARALLEL RUNNING CONTINOUS CONVEYORS HAVING THEIR WORKPIECE SUPPORTING STRANDS RUNNING AWAY FROM AN ASSOCIATED LOADING STATION, SAID CONVEYORS HAVING FLIGHTS THEREUPON ADAPTED TO CRADLE SUCCESSIVE WORKPIECES IN PREDETERMINED SPACED PARALLEL RELATION, POWER DRIVE MEANS CONTROLLABLE TO DRIVE SAID CONVEYORS IN UNISON, MEANS DISPOSED AT THE WORKPIECE DELIVERY SIDE OF SAID CONVEYORS AND DRIVEN IN SYNCHRONISM WITH SAID CONVEYORS TO CONTROL FEEDING OF WORKPIECES IN SAID PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION TO SAID CONVEYORS, ROLLER MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING A GROUP OF WORKPIECES IN THEIR LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION FOR BATCH FEEDING TO A BLASTING MACHINE CABINET, SAID ROLLER MEANS BEING IN THE FORM OF A SERIES OF SPACED, PARALLEL AND COPLANAR ROLLERS OF SERRATED CONFIGURATION IN WHICH THE VALLEYS OF THE SERRATIONS ARE DISPOSED IN SAID PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION, SAID CONVEYORS BEING CARRIED BY SUPPORTS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID LOADING STATION SO AS TO ENABLE THE WORKPIECE CARRYING STRANDS OF SAID CONVEYORS TO SHIFT TO POSITIONS ABOVE AND BELOW THE LEVEL OF SAID ROLLERS, FOR INTERMITTENTLY LOADING SAID ROLLERS. 